Another Core i7 notebook hits the market as LG introduces the new X-NOTE R590. Featuring support for either the 820QM or 720QM Core i7 processor, the X-NOTE R590 comes with:

• 4GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce CT 230M with 1GB RAM
• 15.6 inch LED backlit display with 1600 x 900 resolution
• 500GB HDD
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Windows 7 Home Premium

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LG X-NOTE R590, Intel Core i7

On the processor front, Intel announced the new Core i5 processor family, two new Core i7 processors, and a new Xeon Processor 3400 series.  The new processors also are the first Intel processors to integrate both a 16-lane PCI Express 2 graphics port and a two-channel memory controller – which also means the P55 Express Chipset is a single chip chipset.

Here’s a rundown of the new models:

• Core i7-870 processor; Base clock speed of 2.93 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.6GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $562 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Core i7-860 processor; Base clock speed of 2.80 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.46GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $284 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Core i7-750 processor; Base clock speed of 2.66 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.2GHz, 4 Cores/4 threads, 8MB cache, $196 at a 1K unit price, No HT, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon X3470 processor; Base clock speed of 2.93 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.6GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $589 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon X3460 processor; Base clock speed of 2.80 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.46GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $316 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon 3450 processor; Base clock speed of 2.66 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.2GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $241 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon 3440 processor; Base clock speed of 2.53 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 2.93GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $215 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon 3430 processor; Base clock speed of 2.40 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 2.8 GHz, 4 Cores/4 threads, 8MB cache, $189 at a 1K unit price, No HT, 95 watts TDP
• Xeon L3426 processor; Base clock speed of 1.86 GHz, Turbo Frequency of up to 3.2GHz, 4 Cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, $284 at a 1K unit price, HT enabled, 45 watts TDP

The new P55 Express Chipset supports 8 PCI Express 2.0 x1 Ports (2.5 GT/s), 6 SATA 3 Gb/s ports, RAID levels 0/1/5/10 via Intel Matrix Storage Technology, up to 14 USB 2.0 ports (using Intel USB 2.0 Rate Matching Hub), Intel HD Audio, and support for dual graphics cards in a “2×8” configuration.

So.. with new processor announcements comes.. reviews of course. Here’s a list of reviews from a variety of websites (along with blurbs).

Anandtech – “Core i7 870, i5 750”:

“Lynnfield shows us the beginning of how all microprocessors are going to be made in the future. Even AMD is embracing turbo, we’ll see it with Fusion in 2011. Extend turbo to its logical conclusion and you end up with something very exciting. Imagine a processor made up of many different cores, large and small, CPU and GPU. Each one turning on/off depending on the type of workload, and each running as fast as possible without dissipating more heat than your system can handle.”

TechReport – “Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 processors”

“The Lynnfield chips’ combination of price, performance, and power efficiency effectively clears the field in the desktop CPU market, leaving little room for competition from the Phenom II or older, cheaper Core 2 Quad processors—or even faster, pricier Core i7s.”

Tom’sHardware – “Core i5 and Core i7: Intel’s mainstream magnus opus”

“Alright, so the Core i5-750, specifically, is priced well. What is there to like about it? Reasonable power consumption, a base clock rate comparable to Intel’s Core i7-920, a more-aggressive Turbo Boost able to take the chip to 3.2 GHz in single-threaded workloads, CrossFire and SLI compatibility—it’s a pretty compelling list, actually.”

BenchmarkReviews.com – “Core i5-750 processor”

“Minor issues aside, the Core i5-750’s true strength lies in its Turbo Boost Technology. With it, the processor can automatically overclock all four of its cores independently to match the workload at hand. Down-clocking worked equally as well. Thanks to new power saving features, the Core i5-750 actually consumed the least amount of power out of all of the processors tested.”

Hardware Secrets – “Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 Processors Review”

“For the average user, Core i5 provides a better cost/benefit ratio than Core i7. It is true that Core i7 is faster than Core i5 even when we compare a Core i7 and a Core i5 running at the same clock rate as we did in our review, thanks to the Hyper-Threading technology that makes programs to “see” eight CPU cores instead of “only” four, but this difference in performance will be only worthwhile to professionals because a faster processing means more work done in less time, and thus more jobs for their clients and hence more money. We don’t see why a regular user would pay at least 45% more on a CPU that won’t give that much performance increase in return.”

Overclockers Club – “Intel Core i5 750 Core i7 870 Review”

PC Perspective – “Intel Lynnfield Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 Processor Review”

TweakTown – “Intel Lynnfield Core i5 750 and Core i7 870 Performance Testing”

Bjorn3D – “Intel i7 870 and i5 750 CPUs”

Enjoy!

I think it’s time for me to do a processor/system upgrade now…

Technorati Tags: Intel, Lynnsfield, Intel Core i5, Core i7

Gateway FX6800-01e:

• Intel Core i7 920 processor
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• 3GB DDR3 1066MHz memory with support for up to 16GB
• 750GB 7200 RPM SATA II/300 HDD
• 7.1 channel HD audio
• (10) USB 2.0 ports (4 Front, 6 Rear), 2-IEEE 1394a Ports (1 Front, 1Rear), 2- eSATA Port, (2) PS/2 Ports
• 15 in 1 memory card reader
• Intel X58 chipset
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 18X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive featuring Labelflash Technology
• ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB Discrete Video Memory (Ports: 2x DVI-I, S-Video includes DVI-HDMI & DVI-VGA Dongles)
• 500W Power Supply
• HDMI v1.3
• MSRP of $1249.99

Gateway FX6800-05:

• Intel Core i7-940 Processor
• Intel X58 Express Chipset
• ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics w/ 2048MB Discrete Video Memory
• 6GB (6144MB DDR3 1066MHz Three Channel Memory [3 x 2GB DIMM])
• 1000GB SATA II hard drive (7200RPM, 16MB cache)
• 80GB SSD (Solid State Drive)
• 18X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive featuring LabelFlash Technology
• 15-in-1 High Speed Digital Media Card Reader with Smart Copy Button
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit with Service Pack 1
• (8) USB 2.0 Ports, (2) PS/2, (2) IEEE 1394a, (2) eSATA, RJ-45, (8) Audio Ports
• HDMI Connector v1.3 (via DVI-HDMI dongle)
• 1000 Watt Power Supply
• MSRP of $2999.99

Both of these desktops will be available at retailers nationwide.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Gateway, FX6800-01e, FX6800-05

Alienware Area-51 X-58:

• Intel Core i7 Extreme Processor
• Intel X-58 Chipset
• Dual NDIVIA and ATI Graphics
• 1066MHz DDR3 memory – up to 12GB
• Single or dual RAID 0/1 Hard Drives
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 7.1/5.1 HD Audio
• 8 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 IEEE 1394b ports
• 1 eSATA port
• Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit OS

Alienware Area-51 ALX X-58:

• Intel Core i7 Extreme Processor
• Intel X-58 Chipset
• Dual NVIDIA and ATI Graphics
• 1600MHz DDR3 memory – up to 12GB
• Single or Dual RAID 0 hard drives
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 7.1/5.1 HD audio
• 8 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 IEEE 1394b ports
• 1 eSATA port
• Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit OS

Dell XPS 730x:

• Intel Core i7 920/940/965 processor
• Intel X58 chipset
• Windows XP or Windows Vista
• Up to 6GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
• Several hard drive options
• Single card – ATI Radeon HD4850, NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT, NVIDIA GeForce  GXT280
• Dual card – ATI Radeon HD4850 CrossFireX
• 7.1 channel HD audio
• Dual gigabit Ethernet

Technorati Tags: Dell, Alienware Area-51 X-58, Alienware Area-51 ALX X-58, Dell XPS 730x

The era of the Intel Core i7 architecture is finally here. Really.

Informally announced earlier this month, Intel officially rolled out the processor this afternoon in an event at San Francisco. The processor pricing for the Core i7 architecture is as follows:

• Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition processor running at 3.2 GHz is priced at $999
• Intel Core i7-940 processor running at 2.93 GHz is priced at $562
• Intel Core i7-920 processor running at 2.66 GHz is priced at $284

The Core i7 processor is the first member of the new Intel Nehalem processor family with server and mobile versions  coming out later. Check out our earlier posting with links to tons of reviews of the i7 architecture.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Intel Core i7